Sense Of Place: The Charms Of Portland

Who better to introduce the true sound of Portland, Ore. than the man behind many of its best musical acts? Tucker Martine, producer of The King Is Dead by The Decemberists, is also a musician and composer who has worked with a long and impressive list of artists including Sufjan Stevens, Death Cab for Cutie, R.E.M., Spoon, My Morning Jacket and his wife Laura Veirs. Martine was named one of Paste Magazine's Top Ten Producers and has developed a reputation for smart, intuitive music capture at his Portland studio, Flora Recording & Playback.

In this Sense of Place Portland feature, Martine discusses how the city of Portland itself plays a part in the kind of music that comes out of it. He explains that a recently settled economy has made the city more accessible and affordable to musicians and producers, particularly those just starting out. He also talks about the charm of Portland — that it feels more like a town than a city. Though Martine has a self-described love/hate relationship with the show Portlandia, he talks about the series and gives advice to bands traveling to the area.